The Flotta School was ‘mothballed’ at the end of the 2010 summer term, when the last two pupils went to Kirkwall Grammar School. It was re-opened for three days a week during 2014/15 when a family with two primary school age children moved to the island but this family has now moved to the Orkney Mainland and so the school is closed once more. Other children travelled to the primary school in Orphir every day but that family has recently left the island.

Students attend secondary school in Kirkwall – staying in halls of residence from Monday to Friday – or they can travel to and from Kirkwall every day

Community Activities

The Community Centre is the island venue for most activities, for example:

Flotta Day Club for over 50s

Senior Citizens’ monthly lunch

Whist and Euchre drives (card games)

Carpet Bowls

Kurling

Craft Club

Children’s Activities

Bar open every Friday evening

Monthly Film Club

Fish and chip takeaway once a month

Teas and snacks during the school summer holidays

Dances and other functions, attended by folk from Orkney Mainland and Hoy/Walls

Groups planning a visit to Flotta can book tea/lunch in the Centre

The impressive Flotta Community Mural can be viewed in a former classroom

Flotta’s Millennium Project – a putting green – was finally completed and formally opened in August 2009!

The play park was refurbished and had new equipment installed in 2009

The Annual Flotta 10 k Race is held on the third Sunday in May – and so the next one should take place on 19 May 2019

Annual ‘Bag the Bruck’ beach clean

Church

There is one church on the island – the Church of Scotland – and everyone is welcome there

The kirk door is not locked and therefore accessible at all times for anyone wishing to enter; early in 2014 a portable toilet was installed alongside the vestry

The present kirk was built in 1871

The Flotta War Memorial can be seen in the graveyard alongside, with a Memorial plaque and photographs inside the kirk

Services of the local Registrar of Births, Marriages & Deaths – although the paperwork for marriages has to be arranged by the Kirkwall Registration Office as this can no longer be done at a ‘manual’ office. However, the Flotta Assistant Registrar can still conduct the marriage ceremony

Flotta Heritage Centre

Peerie Museum

Local memorabilia and wartime artefacts that were on display in the Peerie Museum at the Post Office were transferred to the new Heritage Centre next door (see separate post)

Services

Library van visits once every two months

Hairdresser visits every six weeks

Chiropodist visits are also much appreciated!

Coal, heating oil, gas, etc, all delivered regularly

There is a mini Recycling Centre near Gibraltar Pier

Weekly refuse collection, with quarterly collection of bulky items

Various people on the island can assist with carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, welding, car maintenance, etc

Broadband connection is possible on the island

Mobile phone reception can be an issue in certain areas

Employment

The main industry on the island is Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Limited’s Flotta Oil Terminal, which processes oil and gas from the North Sea for onward shipment, and has been operational for over 40 years

The terminal provides employment for several island residents

The majority of the workforce travel from the Orkney Mainland, commuting daily on the company’s own launches

The terminal has its own fire team and medics, with a fully equipped medical centre

NOV, a small company involved in environmental research technology, is also based within the oil terminal, and has recently celebrated 30 years of operations in Flotta

Farming remains an important source of income on the island

A small number of residents travel from the island on a daily basis to work on the Orkney Mainland

Orkney Islands Council employs several people on the island, both full and part-time, such as –

Hi Lynda. Most of the contents of the Peerie Museum have been transferred to the new heritage centre at Lurdy now and so can be seen there. We’ll send you a separate message to arrange to speak with you, and hope to meet you at the end of the month.

Hello, I’m a sociologist from Canada. My colleague from the University of the West of Scotland and I are doing research on cultural work, heritage and tradition on North Atlantic islands. We were wondering who to contact about the Peerie Museum. We will be coming to Orkney at the end of the month and are hoping to maybe arrange a chance to speak with the person. Thanks, Lynda